


Snow Globe No-No

by beeknees



Series: Nicknames and Apple Jacks [6]
Category: Psych
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Mild Angst, Shassie, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-20
Updated: 2013-06-20
Packaged: 2017-12-15 13:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/850108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beeknees/pseuds/beeknees
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shawn can't figure out why Lassie is angry at him. Lassie can't figure out why he's with someone so oblivious.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snow Globe No-No

**Author's Note:**

> Another Shassie-rific story! This one is all Shawn and Lassie, though I do skimp on the naked times. This one's all about moving the relationship a tiny bit further. No worries, there will be another one (or two) with lots of smut. :-)
> 
> Also, please comment and let me know if you would like to see a Juliet fic mixed in here, like the Gus one, just something brief but from Jules' POV.
> 
> Unbeta'd, all mistakes are my own.
> 
> Disclaimer: Unfortunately Shawn, Lassie, Gus and Jules are not mine. If they were, they'd be on HBO due to all the profanity and nudity.

Carlton returned home, anger warring with hurt at finding the house empty and himself alone. He had been hoping Shawn would be there, to talk about their argument. And make up, with gifts and sex. Running his hand over his face, he shed his jacket and sat on the couch, thinking about pouring himself a scotch. Leaning back and closing his eyes, he thought about the last few days. Carlton knew that Shawn was probably confused about his behaviour, especially today, but he couldn't understand how someone as smart as Shawn Spencer missed some of the most obvious clues to his own boyfriend's feelings. He just doesn't understand. _Hm. He doesn't understand._ That thought drained the anger from Carlton, and though the hurt remained, it was lighter. He sighed. _Ah, hell. I should call the idiot._

Opening his eyes, Carlton stood up, turning when a glint of metal flickered at the edge of his vision. There was an unfamiliar silver picture frame on the mantle. Stepping closer to look at it, Carlton noticed the small silver pineapples at each corner of the frame. _Of course._ He smiled to himself. The photograph was what captured his attention, though. The two of them sitting on the beach, Carlton's arm around Shawn and both of them laughing, leaning into each other. Carlton remembered that day, a rare afternoon where all four friends were not working, soon after he and Shawn had started dating. O'Hara kept taking pictures of them, gushing about how cute they were, and Guster kept trying to sneak into the frame. He and Shawn were laughing because Juliet threatened to shoot Gus if he messed up one more picture.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

\--

After Gus and his parents left, Shawn wished his dad Merry Christmas, then drove his bike over to Lassie's place. It was late, but the lights were still on. _At least he's home and not still at the station working._ Shawn stopped in front of the door, thinking he should knock instead of just letting himself in. He didn't need to annoy Lassie any more, though he wasn't sure how he had annoyed Lassie so much in the first place. Or rather, which of his many shenanigans had hit a sore spot – failing to spend the holiday with his boyfriend and not telling Henry about their relationship was Shawn's first guess. 

To be honest, Shawn had also been somewhat upset with Lassie for the last couple days. At first it was Lassie's stubborn refusal to talk about what was wrong, but then came that stupid case. Even though he knew Lassie was a professional to the core, he couldn't help but resent the detective a little for arresting the Gusters. To be fair, Shawn was also a little ticked at Juliet for the same reason. Shawn gave a small sigh. Lassie hadn't even spoken to Shawn before he left the auction with the suspect, and Shawn hasn't seen him since. Which of course gave Shawn his clue that Lassie was very hurt by... something. _Well, let's do this, Spencer._ Steeling himself, Shawn knocked.

\--

Carlton opened the door, unsurprised to find Shawn on the doorstep with a forlorn puppy expression. Stepping back without saying anything, he let the younger man slip inside before closing the door. Carlton wanted to grab Shawn and hold him close, his hand lifting for a moment before pulling it back. _No, not yet._ He needed to make sure Shawn understood the line he crossed, and why it was important. So he simply shut the door and crossed his arms before speaking. “Shawn. It's late.”

“Yeah, Lassie I know. But....” Shawn trailed off. He wasn't good at apologies. “Look, Lassie, it was just a- I mean, with Henry-” Shawn looked down at the floor, running his fingers through his hair, making it stick up more than usual. Carlton had to bite his cheek to keep from smiling. Luckily, Shawn continued speaking to the floor. “I'm sorry for not inviting you to dinner with us. It's just, Henry doesn't know about us yet, and I like it that way, I don't want to deal with him going off at me about this. But, really, Lass, I thought it was for the best.” He looked up at Lassie, who was looking at him like he'd gone crazy. 

“Shawn, you dope! It's not about whether or not you told Henry about us. I understand not wanting to tell your father – hell, I haven't told my mother, either! And I did NOT want to be at that dinner with the Gusters, I've seen more than enough of them the last couple of days. You couldn't have paid me to be there.” Lassie uncrossed his arms, took a step toward Shawn then stopped, dropping his hands down by his sides. “Do you really not understand why I was upset? What you did that upset me?”

Shawn looked at Lassie for a moment before replying. “Well, if it wasn't not being invited to dinner, or me not telling Henry... was it that that bad, going to Jules' for the holiday?” Lassie shook his head. “Then the only thing left is-” Shawn stopped abruptly, his eyes widening a little. “The snow globe thing? That was just a prank. I prank you all the time! You've never reacted like this before.”

Carlton rolled his eyes. Sometimes he wondered what it was about this man-child he liked so much. “Shawn, it wasn't so much the prank as it was you used a very personal, private piece of information and made it the butt of the joke for the whole station.” Seeing Shawn's still somewhat confused look, Carlton threw his hands up in the air. “Seriously, for a genius, sometimes you're kind of slow. How many people do you think knew about those nightmares? You know I value my privacy, would I just walk around telling those yahoos at work about them? You found out because we sleep together, I woke you up a few times, yes?”

Shawn nodded, finally catching on to Lassie's point. “And then I told everyone in the station to give you snow globes for Christmas, knowing you couldn't hide your phobia, and now everyone knows about your nightmares – instead of just me and possibly the mandatory police therapist.” _Shit. How could I screw up that badly? How could I not know how he would react? More importantly, how do I make it right?_ A pang of guilt swept through Shawn as he realized what he had done must seem like betrayal to Lassie. Lassie, who has a hard time trusting people, trusted Shawn enough to tell him about his fears. _And look what I do with that trust._ Running his hand through his hair again, Shawn took a step closer to Lassie. “I. Lassie, I-” He stopped, gathering himself, then took a deep breath before starting again.

“Carlton.” Lassie startled visibly at the use of his first name. “I'm sorry. I really am, it was a stupid prank that I thought was funny but you didn't, and I'm sorry if I hurt you and I didn't mean to, I didn't know it bothered you quite that much, I mean, I knew it bothered you, otherwise I wouldn't have done it, but I'm really sorry, I broke your trust, I shouldn't have done that, and... and shit, sometimes I'm just an asshole and-”

Shawn's words were cut off as Carlton grabbed him into a tight hug. His remaining hurt had evaporated halfway through Shawn's ramble and all he wanted now was to comfort his boyfriend. _My idiot genius._ “Shh, Shawn. It's okay, really.” Shawn shook his head, face still pressed against Carlton's shoulder. “Yes, it is. I was upset, but I know you didn't mean to hurt me. I'm over it now. Okay?” Carlton moved one arm so he could tilt Shawn's head up and look into his eyes.

Shawn gazed at Lassie for a moment, then stretched up and kissed him softly. He pulled back, then pressed forward to kiss the taller man again and again. “I'm. Really. Really. Sorry.” He mumbled between kisses.

Breaking the last kiss, Carlton looked at his lover. “I know. You are forgiven. And I'm sorry too.”

Shawn's forehead wrinkled in confusion. “For what?”

“For not making it clear from the beginning how much this bothered me, and for not simply taking you aside right then to yell at you about it instead of stewing for days. I could have just added it to the list of things I yell at you about all the time.”

Shawn gave a half smile at Lassie's attempt at brevity. “Don't be sorry, Lassie, this was my fault, it was a stupid prank. It won't happen again.”

Carlton smiled. “Yes it will. You can't help yourself.”

“Okay maybe it will, but I... I really don't want it to. I don't want to hurt you, Lassie-bear, not ever.” Shawn's stomach twisted with distress. _If he ever finds out about the psychic thing...._ “I can't promise that I won't – in fact, my track record says I probably will. All I can do is try not to.”

“I can live with that.” Tightening his arms for a moment, Carlton released Shawn, stepping back a little. “Did you at least have a good time at the Gusters? Before you found the body?”

Relieved at both the forgiveness and change of subject, Shawn grinned up at Lassie. “Ha, no, not at all. His parents think I'm a bad influence.” 

Carlton grinned back. “Gee, I wonder where they could have gotten that idea.”

“No idea. I tried telling them stories about how I've been good for Gus, but I don't think they bought it.” Shawn tried to look as innocent as he could.

“I can't imagine why not.” Carlton couldn't keep his face straight, though, and a chuckle slipped out.

Shawn smiled. Hearing Lassie laugh made him warm and happy. “What about you, Lassie-bear? Did you have any fun at Jules'?”

Carlton smiled widely. “I know it was your idea to pawn me off on her.”

Shawn opened his eyes wide in a poor attempt at looking surprised. “What? No, you must be mistaken, Lassie-bear, Juliet is just a sweet, caring-”

“Shawn.” Carlton interrupted, still smiling. Shawn grinned back. 

“Okay, maybe I hinted that you might like some company for the holiday. Was I wrong?”

“Well, yes and no. I don't actually mind being alone on the holiday, if I know I'll have someone good-looking over afterward.”

“Ooohh. Well, should I go? Is he going to be here soon?” Shawn turned and started walking toward the door slowly. “Eep!” He gave a strangled yelp when Lassie swatted his butt.

“Smartass.” Grabbing Shawn's hand, he pulled him toward the couch. Sitting, Carlton let out an “oof!” when Shawn plopped onto his lap.

Shawn just gave a cheeky grin. “Well, then, you had a good time at Jules'?” Shawn's smile widened when a guilty-amused look briefly crossed Lassie's face. “That look tells me yes, yes you did. What did you do?”

“Well...” Carlton chuckled a little before continuing. “I might have been a little... over-enthusiastic when helping her nephews put together the manger scene, giving them some, um, unwanted history lessons.”

“Oh, no. Oh no, Lassie, tell me you didn't.”

“Yep. Put baby Jesus in a shot glass.”

Shawn threw his head back and laughed. “I bet that went over well.”

“Then I beat the little brats at some video game. They were so surprised - they probably thought I didn't even know how to work the controller."

"Yeah, I won't ever make that mistake again, either." Shawn squinted at Lassie. “That's not all, is it?”

“Ha, no....” Carlton cleared his throat. “When O'Hara told me that I wasn't invited for Christmas dinner – in the nicest way she possibly could, of course – I pretended to think it was because she was jealous her nephews thought I was cooler than her.”

“Lassie!”

It was Carlton's turn to put on the innocent act. “What?” Carlton felt Shawn shake with laughter. Cupping the back of his head, Carlton pulled him down for a kiss.

“Mmm....” Shawn responded enthusiastically, sliding his arms around Lassie's back and trying to get under his shirt. Lassie broke the kiss just as it was getting a little more interesting. Shawn pouted. “Why are we stopping?”

Carlton pushed lightly at Shawn, making him get off his lap so the two of them could stand up. “I have something for you.”

“Ooh, a present!” Shawn went from pouty to insanely happy in less time than it took Carlton to blink. He practically bounced; clearly he loved getting presents. “Is it something shiny? Something I get to wear for you? Or, better yet, is it something you are going to wear for me? Something naughty?” Shawn rapid-fired questions as he followed Lassie down the hall.

“It might be a little shiny.” Carlton was suddenly nervous. He was sure that he wanted this, it seemed like the right time to advance their relationship a small step, but he wasn't sure how Shawn would react. It might make the fake psychic run. _Man up, Lassiter! Just give it to him._ Heading into the bedroom, Carlton opened the top drawer of his dresser, withdrawing a small wrapped box.

Shawn's mouth went dry. _Oh God, he isn't...._ Shawn couldn't even complete the thought, panic beginning to flood his body with adrenaline. _Calm down Shawn, it might not be what you think it is._ Another part of Shawn's brain was screaming. _Yes it, is! Get out now! You know you can't do real relationships, Shawn, give it up._ With a huge effort Shawn pushed away the swirl of panicked thoughts and reached out with a shaking hand. Lassie placed the gift in his palm, then waited expectantly. Shawn stared at the detective for a long moment before looking at the gift.

“Um, Shawn. Open it?” Carlton couldn't help the small quiver that crept into his voice. Shawn looked like he was about to go into a full blown panic. _Please, just open it._ Carlton fought closing his eyes as he waited – he was afraid Shawn would bolt if he did.

Shawn got his trembling under control and tore off the wrapping paper. The small box inside didn't look like a jewelry box, calming him somewhat. Lifting the lid, Shawn peered at the contents. “Lassie...” He whispered, blinking rapidly to dispel the sudden tears. “It's perfect.” Shawn lifted out a key chain with the Psych logo, three keys and a black key fob on it.

Carlton relaxed and smiled. “I'm glad you like it. I, uh, thought about this a lot, and I think you should have keys to my place. And, erm... I cleared the top drawer here for your stuff. If you wanted to leave any.” He indicated the dresser beside him.

Shawn nodded, still looking at the key chain. “Two of the keys are for the house; what is the third key? It kind of looks like-”

“It's an extra key to my car. For you know, emergencies.” Carlton cleared his throat a little uncomfortably. A key to his house was one thing, not all that much. Shawn usually broke in anyway – Carlton was still trying to figure out how he kept getting past the security system, he changed the code every week – but the key to his car was significant. It was kind of a big deal. But Carlton didn't lie to himself, he knew he wanted Shawn, wanted to be with him no matter the challenges. Whatever Carlton hoped for in this relationship, he had to take the steps slowly, knowing Shawn was skittish when it came to commitment. _I love him, I'm willing to wait. He's worth it._

Shawn didn't waste any words, he just launched himself at Lassie, almost knocking him down and covering as much skin as he could with kisses. _He is so freaking amazing, I am so incredibly lucky._ Shawn pulled back for moment to gaze at Lassie, his chest feeling tight and his head spinning. _I love him. I love Carlton Lassiter._ Shawn was a little stunned at that thought, not because he didn't know already, but because he suddenly realized he could no longer imagine a future without Lassie. That was a little frightening, because he was Shawn Spencer and he didn't do permanent; but it also felt so incredibly _right._ Lassie made him happy.

Carlton could almost see the gears turning in Shawn's head, and easily guessed the topic. But he was also smiling, looking at Carlton with an almost dopey look on his face. That, more than anything, convinced the detective that he made the right choice; a smile that was only slightly less dopey than Shawn's decorated his face as he leaned forward. Capturing Shawn's mouth, Carlton kissed him hard and received an equal measure back. Pushing Shawn toward the bed, Carlton slipped his hands up Shawn's t-shirt.

“Wait!” Shawn stopped Lassie's hands. “Did you see my gift?”

“The picture on the mantle? Yes, I did. Thank you, it's beautiful.” Carlton continued to lift Shawn's shirt.

Shawn's face lit up. “I'm so glad you like it! I know it's not much, but-” His words were muffled as Lassie pulled Shawn's shirt over his head.

“It's perfect, Shawn. I love it.” Carlton placed his hands on Shawn's chest and shoved him onto the bed. “Now shut up.”

Shawn's grin turned feral to match the one on Lassie's face. _This is the best Christmas ever._


End file.
